


auroras and sad prose

by inlovewithimpossibility



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Regency, Angst, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Lost in Austen - Freeform, Regency, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:49:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28385043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inlovewithimpossibility/pseuds/inlovewithimpossibility
Summary: Felicity Smoak likes her life but something is missing... love. She just never expected to find that something 200 years in the past...// a lost in austen inspired au //
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Comments: 24
Kudos: 63





	auroras and sad prose

**Author's Note:**

  * For [damnsmoaky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/damnsmoaky/gifts).



> This is so very, very late and I can only apologise for that but a very belated birthday to the most incredible friend and person, Lettie! I love you, you're so sweet and kind and caring and you are just the greatest, I'm so grateful to be able to call you my friend <3

Felicity Smoak likes her life just fine. 

She worked hard to gain her position as head of the IT department of Queen Consolidated, one of the leading tech companies in the US. She likes her apartment on the edge of the city with its pretty balcony and large windows to let in lots of light. She likes Starling City as a whole, and the way the leaves in the city’s Central Park turn beautiful oranges and reds when the weather turns colder. She likes her life just fine, but she’s missing something... she’s missing someone. 

Felicity’s sociable enough. She chats happily with the people in her office and her neighbors and those she sees regularly at the gym, but she’s not one for friends perse. She never really has been. She gets on well enough with her mom after a few rocky teenage years but in terms of the people, she talks to when she needs to? They don’t really exist. She’s lonely is the main grasp of it all and she wishes there was something she could do to make that loneliness go away. 

It’s in pursuit of filling that loneliness that she’s out tonight, dressed up more than she has been in years and on a date for the first time since college. Finally taking her mother's advice, she signed up to a dating app and she’s been talking to Ray Palmer for a few weeks now. He’s nice and sweet and he makes Felicity feel wanted which is something she’s entirely unused to. He’s also ridiculously wealthy which is something Felicity’s mother is far more interested in than Felicity herself. 

His riches are presumably why he’s booked the fanciest restaurant in town for their dinner this evening and Felicity feels entirely out of place as she steps into the ballroom like dining room of the fancy eatery. She follows the waiter through to the table, brushing down the dress she spent far too long picking out. She takes a deep breath when the waiter comes to a stop and looks over to see Ray, exactly the same as his profile picture (which she’ll admit is a win for her first go at a dating app) and smiling handsomely at her as he waves the waiter away from the chair across from him. He moves quickly, smiling warmly at Felicity as he approaches. 

“Felicity, I’m so glad to finally meet you,” He grins as he stops just short of her and Felicity stands awkwardly as his eyes sweep up and down her frame, clearly taking her in. She’s a little uncomfortable with the way his eyes widen appreciatively as he looks over her lower half, his smile growing and his eyes linger on her hips before they snap back up to meet her own, “You look incredible.” 

“Thank you,” Felicity blushes, resisting the urge to cross her arms over her torso. She’s never been ashamed of her body, quite the opposite actually. She knows she’s attractive and appreciates the opportunity to flaunt it every now and again but there’s something about the way that it’s the first thing Ray notices that doesn’t sit right with her. 

Stop overthinking, you’re going to have a lovely evening, she tells herself as she takes a deep breath and smiles at Ray, taking him up on his offer to hold out her chair for her. She settles down and forces herself to be positive as Ray settles in his seat on the other side of the table. 

She tries, she really does, but three hours later, no amount of positivity can make her see that date as anything other than an abysmal disaster.

Ray is all the things she thought he was, sweet, and kind, and he’s clearly spared no expense on the evening. It should make Felicity feel wanted and cherished and loved but it instead just leaves her with a bitter taste in her mouth as if Ray considers her to be someone who can be bought. He’s also incredibly self-involved, he spends over an hour discussing his own company and how he’s built it from the ground up, which Felicity admits is an incredible achievement, but she’s not really looking to discuss profit margins on a first date. He talks about how he wants a partner he can show off and take to all the fancy galas and balls he attends as CEO and Felicity sits there thinking that she truly can’t imagine anything more awful. She’s an incredibly intelligent and driven woman and whilst she has no doubt that dating Ray could place her very high up in his company, she wouldn’t want to sacrifice her integrity or happiness for a man who clearly cares more about image than feeling. She has no doubt that he’s aware of her own intelligence but he smiles politely through Felicity’s own brief description of her career path and the leaps she’s made over the past few years, even calling it ‘very impressive’ in a tone that indicates he clearly thinks the opposite. 

All in all, Felicity is more than ready to leave by the time he pays the bill, insisting on doing so before Felicity can even suggest contributing towards it. She bids him a good night and heads straight to her car without even bothering to call over the valet, snatching her keys from the hook by the door. Slipping into the driver's seat, she slams the door and flops her head onto the steering wheel, allowing herself a long moment to scream into the abyss. 

Just as she slumps back into her seat, her phone buzzes, and Felicity groans as she realizes it’s her mother. 

“Honey! Oh my goodness, how was your date with the very handsome billionaire?” Donna questions immediately upon her answering and Felicity merely groans once more, concentrating her vision on the rain pelting down on her windscreen. It blurs the view of the street, the street lamps a faint golden glow in the refraction of the droplets and it almost makes her forget how awful her evening has been... almost. “That bad?” 

“I’m not cut out for this dating thing, Mom. I will die an old maid, maybe with a couple of dogs and that will make me happy,” Felicity answers, taking a deep breath as she rearranges herself in the car seat. 

“Oh baby, you’ll find someone. I know you will. You can’t give up though, you’ll never find them if you don’t look!” Donna insists and Felicity sighs, shaking her head. 

“I’m just... not for a little while, okay Mom? I’m not ready for all my free evenings to look like tonight, it’s just depressing,” She sighs, thinking about how much more enjoyable tonight would’ve been if she went with the original plan of Ben and Jerry’s and a Netflix marathon. 

“Alright, baby. I love you, I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? Drive safe,” Donna tells her and Felicity can hear the resignation in her mother’s voice. She knows that the older woman isn’t giving up yet but that she’ll leave it alone for tonight whilst Felicity recovers. 

“Alright Mom, I love you too. Speak to you tomorrow,” She smiles softly as she hangs up the phone, taking a deep breath with one last glance back to the restaurant before she starts her ignition to begin the short car ride back to her apartment. 

Home is a welcome sight as she rushes from the car to her front door through the rain, immediately kicking off her heels and slamming the door shut behind her as she shrugs off her coat and hangs it by the door. Sighing heavily, she allows her weary bones a minute to settle into the warm feeling of finally being surrounded by familiarity before she moves towards the kitchen to grab her ice cream from the freezer. 

“See? I knew a date with Ben and Jerry would be far superior to any men off a dating app,” She comments into the abyss with a groan as she spoons the first taste of chocolate fudge brownie into her mouth. 

Fully intent on settling into the couch with her blankets and ice cream, Felicity frowns as the sound of ringing comes from upstairs. 

“That’s weird,” She sighs as she looks to where her phone is laying on the kitchen counter. Figuring that it must be one of her computers she’s working on repairing in the spare room, she heads up the stairs and ducks into her extra bedroom slash tech workshop with a frown.

Sure enough, it’s where the ringing is coming from, but not from any of the tech that’s scattered on the numerous tables in the room. No, the ringing is coming from behind a small door that Felicity swears was not there when she left the house earlier today. 

“I swear to Google, if this is how I die, I’m going to be so pissed,” She comments with a huff as she grabs a small flashlight that she keeps in the room for working on small pieces of hardware late at night and opens the small door.

It’s seemingly empty and her brow furrows as she slips her small body into the small space, an uneasy feeling settling within her as she tries to straighten up but finds she can’t. She screams loudly as the door slams shut behind her and there’s no knob for her to open on this side. She slams her body weight into the wood but it won’t budge and she finds herself screaming once again as the floor gives out from underneath her and she falls into the darkness below, totally unaware of where she is or what’s going on. Her stomach twists and turns as she feels like she might throw up and she lands heavily on what oddly feels like grass.

“That is… where am I?” She ponders with a frown, the feeling of dread only growing as she wriggles to the left, finding that the passage she’s landed in seems to open up a little. She frowns deeply and tries not to panic as she shoves hard against a panel she finds, sending her tumbling out onto a grass lawn, something that is decidedly not anywhere near her townhouse in the starts of Starling City’s rough area, the Glades. “How the frack?” 

“Milady? Are you quite alright?” 

Felicity can’t help herself, she screams at the sound of a voice. Reeling around, her eyes widen at the sight of a tall man looming over her. All she can see to begin with is tall leather boots but panic begins to set in as her gaze rises and she takes in the tight breeches, waistcoat, shirt, buttoned jacket, and cravat that adorn the handsome man’s frame. He looks like he’s dressed for some kind of historical re-enactment but he doesn’t seem to be alarmed at all, in fact, he’s looking over Felicity’s attire with a similar intrigue, clearly surprised by her dress. 

Clothes aside, he’s a very attractive man and Felicity’s eyes widen at the sight of him, her mind reeling as she tries to cope with the events of the past five minutes. She’s clearly nowhere near her townhouse but how does that figure? Maybe she hit her head and this is all some weird fever dream. She hopes that someone finds her soon to wake her up because she really doesn’t want to die trapped in a weird, newly appeared crawl space in her spare room. 

She looks around, choosing to accept the parameters of her very strange dream and her eyes widen at what she sees. She’s in the middle of a beautifully gardened lawn, with large and intrinsically designed bushes lining the sides of what appears to be a walkway she’s landed in. Looking towards the end of said walkway, her heart stops as she takes in the… well large house is an understatement. It’s an  _ estate,  _ lined with large white pillars and grand stairs leading up to it. The windows that line the front façade are beautiful and Felicity gasps as she takes in how beautifully the house blends into the surrounding landscape whilst still being the main event. 

She has no idea where she is, but good lord, it’s stunning. 

“Milady? Please tell me if you feel as if something has befallen you, I can ride for the doctor immediately,” The man comments, and Felicity frowns, her attention snapping back to him. 

“Oh I… no, I don’t think I need a doctor,” She blinks for a moment, her head spinning as she tries to concentrate. The estate around her, the man’s dress, his extremely formal manner of speech… it’s like she’s landed slap bang in the middle of an Austen novel. 

“Well, may I help you up? It appears as if something has occurred, milady, your dress appears to be half missing,” The man comments with a frown, glancing at Felicity’s bare legs for a moment before he quickly and purposefully averts his eyes. 

“Missing?” Felicity frowns, looking down with worry that the fall has ripped the rather expensive dress she adorned earlier in the evening for her date with Ray. It’s mucky and clearly could use a few runs to the dry cleaner’s but it appears to be fully intact. Her frown deepens as she looks through the man who is very persistently avoiding looking at Felicity’s legs and it clicks in her mind that it’s her bare legs he’s referring to. 

The house, his dress, his speech, and now this? 

Holy Google, is she in the past? 

She must have hit her head  _ really  _ hard. 

“Missing! Yes, you’re right! I um… I took a tumble from my carriage when a horse was… she was spooked!” Felicity hastens to play along, not knowing what’s going on but being aware enough to know that acting as she wants to (freaking out in an epic proportion, that is) will only lead to trouble for her. 

That’s true whether this is a dream or not. 

“Oh how awful, this happened on the estate?” The man asks, concern covering his face and Felicity frowns for a long moment before she shakes her head, making sure to remember the details of what she’s about to say. 

She gets the feeling this is something she’s going to have to repeat. 

“No, just outside, we were passing on our way to London, you see. I stumbled inside as I had heard of his… Lordship’s? Yes, his Lordship’s benevolence, and I thought he might be able to help, you see… my lord,” She quickly explains, her brow furrowing as she attempts to remember the terminology the cast used in the last period drama she watched. She doesn’t know if it’s at all accurate for where she is and if the man before her is even the lord of the house. (She’s hoping not considered she just referred to him in third person). 

“Yes, my dear friend does have quite the reputation for helping those in need. I am sure he and his sister will be more than able to assist you. May I help you up now? We shall then journey to the house if you are able to walk?” The kind man tells her and Felicity just thanks her lucky stars that no matter who this man is, he’s compassionate and willing to help her. She very easily could’ve been found by some psycho (dream or not, that’s not something she’d particularly appreciate experiencing). 

“Um yes. That would be most kind, thank you…” Felicity frowns as she allows the man to help her stand with a hand under her elbow and one on her back. She trails off, looking at her kind savior expectantly, hoping that he gets the hint that she’s asking for him to introduce himself. 

“Oh how awfully rude you must think me! This is certainly not how things are done, is it? Though of course, there is sometimes some fun in that. I am Lord Thomas Merlyn, heir to the Marquisate of Suffolk. You are obviously aware of my good friend and his estate, Lord Oliver Queen, the Duke of Derbyshire,” Thomas smiles, wiggling his eyebrows as he comments on the ‘proper ways’ of society before he grins warmly at her, gesturing around to the estate. 

Lord Thomas Merlyn, Lord Oliver Queen, marquisates, dukedoms…  _ we’re definitely not in Kansas anymore,  _ Felicity notes to herself with a long blink of disbelief. 

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Thomas. I am Fe… Lady Felicity Smoak,” Felicity catches herself before she embarrasses herself. She doesn’t need this Lord Thomas to be skeptical of her manners, she’s sure that’ll only lead to trouble for her. 

“Smoak? That name does sound familiar. Who is your father?” Lord Thomas questions and Felicity has to fight to cover her shock at the idea that he knows her name. She takes it as the blessing that it is, however, and attempts to run with it. 

“He’s um… he is the Earl of Starling,” She finds herself saying, praying that either there is miraculously an Earl of Starling in what is clearly England in the regency period (if she’s forced to guess) or that Lord Thomas isn’t entirely clued up on his peerage and he just runs with it. 

“Ah but of course! We shall send for him immediately once we have you settled so that you may be reunited. I am sure he is very anxious to hear of your safety, it is he who you were traveling with?” The handsome lord questions with a smile and Felicity hides a sigh of relief that whichever it is, she’s apparently safe for now. 

“Yes, Lord Thomas, I was traveling with my father,” She lies, making a note in her head of the different parts of the story she’s told him so far. She gets the impression it won’t be the last time she tells it. 

“We will make sure to send a missive as soon as we arrive. Come along, let’s get you out of the cold,” Lord Thomas smiles and gestures for her to loop her hand through his elbow. Felicity blanches for a moment but does as suggested, falling into step beside the lord. He makes light conversation that Felicity is far more comfortable with, noting upon the chill in the air and how his friend’s garden has remained beautifully in bloom despite the colder weather, and Felicity finds herself easily chatting to the stranger. Despite the cultural differences and her needing to concentrate harder in order to understand his turn of phrase, he’s a kind, open and warm man, and Felicity thanks her lucky stars that he’s the one who found her… she knows that could’ve gone very differently. 

Felicity has her breath stolen by the beauty of the house before them as they approach. It was gorgeous from far away, all stone brick and regency era columns, designed with Corinthian capitals and a pediment decorated with a similar leaf pattern. Despite the huge house marking the land very distinctly, it also seems to blend in beautifully with the surrounding land. The house itself has so many plants dotted around it, Felicity would think it were a nursery of some kind if she were back home, and it settles such a sense of peace within her… it’s bafflingly incredible. 

“She is certainly something, is she not? Built by the duke’s father way back in 54,” Lord Thomas explains with a smile, clearly noting Felicity’s awe and amazement. 

“It is the most beautiful house I have ever seen,” She sighs contently, completely blown away by the beauty before her. 

“Quite the compliment. I am sure you have seen many, I seem to recall the Earl of Starling to be quite the keen traveler,” The Lord comments with a small frown, and Felicity’s eyes widen. 

_ Okay, so the Earl of Starling is a real person… noted.  _

“Yes, indeed, Father does not like to stay in one place too long,” She answers in what she hopes is an in keeping answer, though she does revel secretly to herself that technically, that’s not a lie. Her father wasn’t a fan of staying in one place, it’s part of the reason he took off and left Felicity and her mother all alone. 

“Thomas! We thought you had gotten lost!” 

Felicity jumps at the sound of a voice, her eyes widening as a tall figure, dressed in almost exactly the same attire as Lord Thomas, exits the house. Felicity immediately freezes. He’s just as handsome as the man by her side, if not more so, and his coat is slightly less elaborate than Lord Thomas’. She feels like her eyes are boggling out of her head and tries to school her expression, but she doesn’t do a very good job when the man’s eyes land on her. He’s clearly shocked at her state of dress and Felicity is feeling self-conscious about it now, despite it being rather modest by her standards. 

“As you can see, I had a slight divergence in my plans,” Lord Thomas comments with a wry smile, turning to nod at Felicity politely. 

“My goodness, are you quite alright, my lady?” The Duke questions with a frown, rushing towards her with concern written all over his face. 

“Lady Felicity Smoak, meet my friend, Lord Oliver Queen, the Duke of Derbyshire. Oliver, Lady Felicity Smoak,” Lord Thomas hastens to introduce them, regarding his friend with a stern look and Felicity frowns for a moment before she remembers what the lord had said outside. It isn’t proper to talk without being properly introduced here. 

“It is lovely to meet you, Lord Oliver,” Felicity answers, bobbing in what she hopes is an appropriate enough curtsey. She prays that her perceived predicament will cover for any flaws in her etiquette and that she’ll pick things up by osmosis the more time she spends here. 

(Not that she’s planning on lingering long, hopefully in a few hours she can investigate where she fell through and get back home in no time.)

“A pleasure to meet you, my lady, what brings you to my estate today?” The Duke questions. Felicity notes that he doesn’t appear annoyed or even that confused at her presence. In fact, he seems rather amused beneath his concern. 

“Your Grace, she took a tumble out of her carriage which was passing, we decided together you might be able to help,” Lord Thomas supplies for her, and Felicity is very grateful that he decides to address the duke properly so that she knows what to say. 

“But of course, it brings me great sorrow to hear you were hurt so near to my estate. Please come inside and we shall find you some warm clothes before we might set about reuniting you with your party,” Lord Oliver smiles, gesturing towards the steps of the house and Felicity takes a deep breath, looking up at them. She’s not entirely sure this is the best course of action but the cold is starting to settle into her bones and the idea of warm clothes sounds far more appealing than she’d like to admit. 

“Thank you, Your Grace, that is most kind,” Felicity nods as she steps forward, falling into step with both the Duke and Lord Thomas as they ascend the stairs and approach a grandiose looking door, of which a small sub-section is propped open. 

“It is nothing, we must look after each other, after all,” Lord Oliver smiles back at her and Felicity frowns. Everything she knows about men is screaming at her to run and try and get home as soon as possible but something within her instinctively trusts these two men and she’s not entirely sure how she feels about that. 

Felicity’s breath is once again stolen as she is led into the most beautiful hallway she has ever seen. Marble lines almost every surface and as she raises her attention skyward, she gasps at the beautifully intricate paintings decorating the ceiling near a skylight. Everything is done in exquisite detail and Felicity is totally blown away as she takes in her surroundings. 

_ Well, if this is how I die, at least the house is pretty… _

“Raisa, please fetch my sister,” Lord Oliver comments to an older-looking woman stood off to the side of the hall who immediately nods and bobs into a curtesy. 

“Of course, Your Grace,” She tells him before she scurries off and Felicity takes a deep breath as the duke turns his attention back to her. 

“Where is it you were traveling to, my lady?” 

“London, Your Grace, with my father, the Earl of Starling,” Felicity relays the story to him, thinking maybe she ought to write it down when she gets a spare moment. She’s very dizzy following her fall and keeping these lies straight in her head is going to take a lot. 

“Oh but of course, I know Starling, he must be very worried about you,” Lord Oliver comments with a concerned frown, and Felicity nods, her stomach twisting nervously. She really needs to get cleaned up and get back through to her time before they contact this Starling, it’s growing clearer that he is a real earl. 

“I hope I shall be able to return home soon,” She adds with a kind smile and nod, receiving a similar warmth in the expression the duke sends back to her. There is something so calming about his gaze and Felicity cannot help but compare it to the scrutiny she felt under Ray’s looks at the restaurant earlier. 

“Of course, we shall make sure you are warm and fed and do all we can to return you to your home, my lady,” He smiles and Felicity nods, averting her eyes in what she hopes is a respectful manner. She’s pulling on every piece of media she can recall to try and guide her in acting respectably here and she just prays she’s doing the right thing. 

“My deepest gratitude, Your Grace.”

“Brother?” 

They all turn at the sound of a new voice and Felicity’s eyes widen at the sight of the young woman stood at the top of the impressive staircase. She is small and brunette, her brown curls styled elegantly atop her head, and her petite body is dressed in an elegant green gown that sweeps to the floor. She looks every bit the noblewoman Felicity has seen in so many period dramas and it’s all she can do to not stare too fervently as the young lady walks elegantly down the stairs. 

“Thea, please meet Lady Felicity Smoak, her father is the Earl of Starling. My lady, my sister, Lady Thea Queen,” The duke introduces with a smile, and Felicity cannot help but note the warm affection he has as he regards his sister. It’s clear that the siblings are close and it warms Felicity’s heart to see it so plainly evident on their faces. 

“A pleasure, my lady,” She greets, bobbing into another attempt at a curtsey and Lady Thea smiles, clearly surprised at her state of dress but remaining polite nonetheless. 

“The feeling is mutual,” The young woman replies with a smile, turning back to her brother and Lord Thomas in clear search of an explanation. 

“Lady Felicity took a tumble out of her carriage, could you possibly lend her some clothes so that we can proceed with helping her reunite with her father?” Lord Thomas comments and understanding crosses Lady Thea’s face before it turns to concern and then pity as she turns back to look at Felicity. 

“Oh, but of course, come with me! Raisa, if you could send Evelyn up from downstairs?” The lady asks, gesturing to Felicity to follow her as she heads back towards the stairs. 

“Of course, my lady,” The housekeeper, who Felicity hadn’t even noticed reenter the room, nods and rushes off again. 

“Brother, Lord Thomas,” Lady Thea comments, nodding at the two gentlemen before she starts up the stairs again and Felicity turns to look at them too. 

“Lady Thea, Lady Felicity,” The Duke comments politely and Felicity blinks, startled, when it seems his eyes linger on her. There’s a softness to his expression, a curious almost affection that has her stomach fluttering in a way she decides she really  _ cannot  _ think about right now. 

She needs to change and find a way home before she gets too swept up in…  _ whatever it is  _ this is. 


End file.
